Bruce Springsteen’s Houston tour history through the years

Bruce Springsteen has been bringing his brand of wrought-iron Jersey rock to Houston for 40 years, beginning with a four-day invasion of the Liberty Hall in March 1974. He was playing two sets a night three of those nights to accommodate the crowds, something you don't see anymore in rock and roll. less

Bruce Springsteen has been bringing his brand of wrought-iron Jersey rock to Houston for 40 years, beginning with a four-day invasion of the Liberty Hall in March 1974. He was playing two sets a night three of ... more

Photo: Courtesy: Brucebase

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Here's a review of one of the Liberty Hall shows from the Houston Chronicle archives. It was described as a "a celebration of life so intense and vivid that only the most hardened cynic could avoid becoming involved," which means the reviewer probably met a girl at the show. less

Here's a review of one of the Liberty Hall shows from the Houston Chronicle archives. It was described as a "a celebration of life so intense and vivid that only the most hardened cynic could avoid becoming ... more

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Bruce Springsteen plays a two-night stand at The Summit in 1980 touring behind The River, on November 14 and November 15.

Bruce Springsteen plays a two-night stand at The Summit in 1980 touring behind The River, on November 14 and November 15.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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A photo from a December 8, 1978 Bruce Springsteen concert at The Summit.

A photo from a December 8, 1978 Bruce Springsteen concert at The Summit.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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A photo from a December 8, 1978 Bruce Springsteen concert at The Summit.

A photo from a December 8, 1978 Bruce Springsteen concert at The Summit.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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A photo from a December 8, 1978 Bruce Springsteen concert at The Summit.

A photo from a December 8, 1978 Bruce Springsteen concert at The Summit.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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A photo from a December 8, 1978 Bruce Springsteen concert at The Summit.

A photo from a December 8, 1978 Bruce Springsteen concert at The Summit.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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A photo from a December 8, 1978 Bruce Springsteen concert at The Summit.

A photo from a December 8, 1978 Bruce Springsteen concert at The Summit.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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A photo from a December 8, 1978 Bruce Springsteen concert at The Summit.

A photo from a December 8, 1978 Bruce Springsteen concert at The Summit.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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A photo from a December 8, 1978 Bruce Springsteen concert at The Summit.

A photo from a December 8, 1978 Bruce Springsteen concert at The Summit.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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A photo from a December 8, 1978 Bruce Springsteen concert at The Summit.

A photo from a December 8, 1978 Bruce Springsteen concert at The Summit.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Bruce Springsteen played two shows at The Summit in 1984, on November 29 and November 30.

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen plays a two-night stand at The Summit in 1980 touring behind The River, on November 14 and November 15.

Bruce Springsteen plays a two-night stand at The Summit in 1980 touring behind The River, on November 14 and November 15.

CONTACT FILED: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Bruce Springsteen on harmonica, and the E Street Band reunion show at Compaq Center Tuesday April 18, 2000. Saxophonist Clarence Clemmons is seen playing tambourine on the left. HOUCHRON CAPTION (04/19/2000): Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band visit the "Promised Land" of Houston for the first time in 12 years Tuesday at the Compaq Center. Fans lined up hours before the show to see the Boss. less

CONTACT FILED: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Bruce Springsteen on harmonica, and the E Street Band reunion show at Compaq Center Tuesday April 18, 2000. Saxophonist Clarence Clemmons is seen playing tambourine on the ... more

Photo: Houston Chronicle

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CONTACT FILED: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Bruce Springsteen, left, and 'Little' Stevie van Zandt on guitarplayed with the E Street Band reunion show at Compaq Center Tuesday April 18, 2000. HOUCHRON CAPTION (04/20/2000): Bruce Springsteen, left, and guitarist Steve Van Zandt and the rest of the E Street Band delivered a commanding threee-hour concert Tuesday at Compaq Center. HOUCHRON CAPTION (12/14/2000): THE YEAR'S BEST CONCERTS INCLUDE THOSE BY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, LEFT, WITH KERCHIEFED GUITARIST STEVEN VAN ZANDT. less

Bruce Sprinsteen performs with the E Street Band in front of a sold-out audience of 15,000 at the Bryce Jordan Center Monday, Feb. 28, 2000, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Centre Daily Times, Pat Little) HOUCHRON CAPTION (04/13/2000): Next week, Bruce Springsteen, below, and his reunited E Street Band play Houston for the first time since 1988. For what to expect from a 50-year-old Boss, see Zest. HOUCHRON CAPTION (06/09/2000): Springsteen. less

Bruce Sprinsteen performs with the E Street Band in front of a sold-out audience of 15,000 at the Bryce Jordan Center Monday, Feb. 28, 2000, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Centre Daily Times, Pat Little) ... more

Photo: AP

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Bruce Springsteen (left) performs in concert with The E Street Band at the Compaq Center November 4,2002. James Nielsen (Special to the Chronicle

Bruce Springsteen (left) performs in concert with The E Street Band at the Compaq Center November 4,2002. James Nielsen (Special to the Chronicle

Photo: Special to the Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen performs in concert with The E Street Band at the Compaq Center November 4,2002. James Nielsen (Special to the Chronicle) HOUCHRON CAPTION (11/05/2002): Bruce Springsteen, known as the Boss, sings with the E Street Band at the Compaq Center on Monday. His new album, "The Rising," debuted at No. 1 in 11 countries, including the United States. less

Bruce Springsteen performs in concert with The E Street Band at the Compaq Center November 4,2002. James Nielsen (Special to the Chronicle) HOUCHRON CAPTION (11/05/2002): Bruce Springsteen, known as the ... more

Photo: Special to the Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen performs in concert with The E Street Band at the Compaq Center November 4,2002. James Nielsen (Special to the Chronicle

Bruce Springsteen performs in concert with The E Street Band at the Compaq Center November 4,2002. James Nielsen (Special to the Chronicle

Photo: Special to the Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen (left) performs in concert with The E Street Band at the Compaq Center November 4,2002. James Nielsen (Special to the Chronicle) HOUCHRON CAPTION (11/05/2002): Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa and Steven Van Zandt harmonize during Monday night's performance at the Compaq Center, a show that was a mixture of solemn and joyous moments. Review. less

Bruce Springsteen (left) performs in concert with The E Street Band at the Compaq Center November 4,2002. James Nielsen (Special to the Chronicle) HOUCHRON CAPTION (11/05/2002): Bruce Springsteen, Patti ... more

Photo: Special to the Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen performs in concert with The E Street Band at the Compaq Center November 4,2002. James Nielsen (Special to the Chronicle) HOUCHRON CAPTION (11/05/2002): A 'RISING' STAR - Bruce Springsteen had new music and a new message to preach as he and the E Street Band returned to the Compaq Center. INSIDE. less

Bruce Springsteen performs in concert with The E Street Band at the Compaq Center November 4,2002. James Nielsen (Special to the Chronicle) HOUCHRON CAPTION (11/05/2002): A 'RISING' STAR - Bruce Springsteen ... more

Photo: Special to the Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen performs in concert with The E Street Band at the Compaq Center November 4,2002. James Nielsen (Special to the Chronicle

Bruce Springsteen performs in concert with The E Street Band at the Compaq Center November 4,2002. James Nielsen (Special to the Chronicle

Photo: Special to the Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen (left) performs in concert with The E Street Band at the Compaq Center November 4,2002. James Nielsen (Special to the Chronicle

Bruce Springsteen (left) performs in concert with The E Street Band at the Compaq Center November 4,2002. James Nielsen (Special to the Chronicle

Photo: Special to the Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen (lower left) performs in concert with The E Street Band at the Compaq Center November 4,2002. James Nielsen (Special to the Chronicle

Bruce Springsteen (lower left) performs in concert with The E Street Band at the Compaq Center November 4,2002. James Nielsen (Special to the Chronicle

Photo: Special to the Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Photo: Kevin Fujii / Houston Chronicle

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Male-pattern baldness rather than shaved heads were in notable attendance at Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's concert Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Male-pattern baldness rather than shaved heads were in notable attendance at Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's concert Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Photo: Kevin Fujii / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Photo: Kevin Fujii / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen performs with his E Street Band Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen performs with his E Street Band Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Photo: Kevin Fujii / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen performs with the E Street Band Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen performs with the E Street Band Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Photo: Kevin Fujii / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen points out to the crowd as the E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg plays Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen points out to the crowd as the E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg plays Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Photo: Kevin Fujii / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Photo: Kevin Fujii / Houston Chronicle

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Fans throw up their hands with Bruce Springsteen as he performs with the E Street Band Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Fans throw up their hands with Bruce Springsteen as he performs with the E Street Band Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Photo: Kevin Fujii / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen performs with the E Street Band Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen performs with the E Street Band Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Photo: Kevin Fujii / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band end their third song of Monday evening, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band end their third song of Monday evening, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Photo: Kevin Fujii / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen, from left, and the E Street Band's Steven Van Zandt and Garry Tallent perform Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen, from left, and the E Street Band's Steven Van Zandt and Garry Tallent perform Monday, April 14, 2008, at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Photo: Kevin Fujii / Houston Chronicle

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Concert goers gather before the start of the Bruce Springsteen concert at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Concert goers gather before the start of the Bruce Springsteen concert at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle

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Thomas Trevizo directs concert goers before the start of the Bruce Springsteen concert at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Thomas Trevizo directs concert goers before the start of the Bruce Springsteen concert at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle

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Concert goers gather before the start of the Bruce Springsteen concert at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Concert goers gather before the start of the Bruce Springsteen concert at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle

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Concert goers gather before the start of the Bruce Springsteen concert at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Concert goers gather before the start of the Bruce Springsteen concert at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle

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A Bruce Springsteen concert ticket is checked before the start of the performance at theToyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

A Bruce Springsteen concert ticket is checked before the start of the performance at theToyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle

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Concert tickets are checked before the start of the Bruce Springsteen performance at theToyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Concert tickets are checked before the start of the Bruce Springsteen performance at theToyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Toyota Center Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Houston.

Photo: Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle

Bruce Springsteen's Houston tour history through the years

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Tuesday for the first time in the venue’s nearly 25 years of hosting concerts. Springsteen’s traveling show has always been a staple of the concert calendar at places like the Summit (and then the Compaq Center) and the Toyota Center. Expect the man and his band to turn in a nearly four-hour set, judging from recent set lists.

This will also be Springsteen’s first Houston visit since 2009’s Toyota Center date touring behind that year’s Working On A Dream. He only got as close as Austin for SXSW during the promo push for 2012’s Wrecking Ball. His newest release, High Hopes, is a grab bag of covers, re-imagined live nuggets, and songs that didn’t make it onto the last few full-length offerings. It’s not an album of misfit toys, that much is for sure.

It’s hard to believe that The Boss has been bringing his brand of wrought-iron Jersey rock to Houston for 40 years — before was even The Boss, maybe just the Assistant Manager — beginning with a four-day invasion of the Liberty Hall in March 1974. He was playing two sets a night three of those nights to accommodate the crowds, something you don’t see much of anymore on a rock tour, much less in Houston.

A Houston Chronicle review of one of the Liberty Hall shows described it as “a celebration of life so intense and vivid that only the most hardened cynic could avoid becoming involved,” which means the reviewer probably met a girl at the show. The only complaint from writer John W. Wilson seemed to be that Springsteen’s voice got lost in the musical soup of the show. There is a great, full-band bootleg floating around on YouTube of that March 9 appearance on KLOL hours before they hit the stage that night. Can you imagine getting all of those people into that tiny studio off Lovett in Montrose?

Not much time passed between the era when Springsteen and band were playing mid-size venues like Liberty Hall and the Houston Music Hall and when they became arena-sized scalper fodder, capable of selling thousands of seats within hours or days. Blockbuster albums like Born to Run and Born in The U.S.A. will have that effect on a career. Springsteen played the Summit for the first time on Dec. 8, 1978, and again routinely every album cycle or so for a two-night stand until April 1988. He wouldn’t come to Houston again until a solo acoustic show at Jones Hall on Jan. 23, 1996 on the Ghost of Tom Joad tour. Once Bruce and the E Streeters were reunited in 1999, they returned to Houston and the Compaq Center in 2000 and 2002, the last time they would play the arena before it was turned into Lakewood Church.

In anticipation of Springsteen returning to Houston after a five-year absence, I dived into our photo archive for some shots of him in his live element here in Houston. Also, with a little help from online a Bruce database, the aptly-named BruceBase, I was able to fill in some of the blanks on those shows you may have forgotten that you were even at.

Judging by the photos, the man has made a deal with the man upstairs to age in reverse. There are few differences between the man at 64 and at 36, give or take a few wrinkles in the face. He probably knows a few more songs now, too.